Best Friends and Lovers
by VampFan2442
Summary: This story takes place before Elena met the Salvatores. Elena and Tyler become best friends after her parents die. Then the Salvatores move to town. One creepy, one mysterious. Which will she choose? Or are her and Tyler destined to be together? OOC/AU.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fan fiction, so go easy on me! :) And please note that the rating is M!**

**I don't own Vampire Diaries or anything related! **

**Chapter 1 **

"Come on Tyler, we're gonna be late!" I yelled as Tyler and I jumped out of his truck and headed towards the school. In our hurry to get into school before the tardy bell rang, I ran right into a wall. Or at least what I thought was a wall. When I opened my eyes I saw it was a person. That was so strange, it literally felt like I had slammed into a brick wall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! We were in a hurry and I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?" I asked as I bent down to pick up my things.

"It's no problem. Are you okay? My name is Stefan by the way."

"Elena. Sorry again. I have to run!" Tyler and I headed off to our homeroom class. Once there I couldn't help but think about my run-in with Stefan. He must be really muscular because it actually hurt running into him.

The bell rang indicating homeroom was over. As I was heading to my first period class, Tyler grabbed me and pulled me outside behind the science room.

"Let's ditch! I don't feel like being here today. And I have next period with Vicki. No thank you." Tyler and Vickie had broken up over the weekend so I figured he needed this.

"I'm in. Where are we gonna go?"

"A little hole in the wall bar two towns over, that way we won't get caught with our fake IDs."

"Wow, you have this all planned out, huh Ty?" I laughed. He was like a kid in a candy store, so excited to cut class. I jumped on his back and we headed towards the parking lot.

Once we got to the bar, we decided to play a game of pool. Tyler racked the balls while I got us a couple drinks. Other than us and the bartender, the place was deserted. As I was getting ready to break, Tyler came up to me with a sly grin on his face.

"What do you say we make this game a little more interesting?"

"You're on! What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking loser gives the winner head." Tyler had a cocky smirk on his face, waiting for my response. I was actually a little surprised because we hadn't had any of these types of bets since he had started seeing Vickie. I guess things really are over between them.

"You're on! And trust me when I say, you're going down!" We both cracked up laughing at the double meaning and started playing our game. About twenty minutes later we were down to the 8 ball and it was my shot.

"Corner pocket, left side." I stated confidently and then took my shot.

"Woo hoo! Told you I was gonna win! Now, when do I collect my debt?" I asked walking up to Tyler and running my finger down his chest.

"How about right now? Backseat?" He had the biggest grin on his face. I thought about it for a second then took off running to the car and jumped in, with Tyler hot on my heels.

As soon as we were in the car I instantly wiggled out of my pants and waited for Tyler to get started. We've been in this situation many times in the past so there was no awkwardness or strained conversation leading to the deed. Tyler got to work and I threw my head back, enjoying the pleasure he was providing me. A few minutes later I looked up and there was a man standing in the doorway of the bar staring at me. At first it freaked me out and I told Tyler.

"There's a guy over there watching me." He started to move away from me intent on making this guy go away, but for some reason I didn't want the guy to leave.

"It's okay. It's kind of hot. Keep going." The rest of the time Tyler was pleasuring me, I had my eyes locked with this incredibly gorgeous man. He had dark hair and chiseled features. And the bluest eyes I had ever seen. Even from this distance, I could tell they were beautiful. As I reached my climax I saw a slight smile cover the man's face and it was the most amazing smile I had ever seen. As Tyler sat up I looked at him for a moment and then back to the mystery man and he was gone. I couldn't help but feel disappointed at his absence.

After the amazing job Tyler had done, I went ahead and reciprocated for him. After we finished we went back inside and played some more pool and finished our drinks. Around 2:30 we headed back to Mystic Falls. Tyler dropped me off and I went straight to my room. I couldn't stop thinking about the man from the bar. He was by far the most beautiful human being I had ever laid my eyes on. And now I will probably never see him again. Figures. I guess I will have to settle for writing about him in my diary.

Dear Diary,

Today I saw the most incredible man. He was tall and lean, with a muscular body. He had hair as black as night and eyes as blue as the ocean. I can't get his face out of my head. If only I knew who he was or where he was from. But as quickly as he appeared, he also disappeared in the same fashion. I don't know if any man I meet for the rest of my life will ever compare to the beauty of that man.

On another note, I met a new student today. I was running late and we had a small collision in the hallway at school. Nothing too abnormal about that, but when I ran into him it was literally like running into a brick wall. I even have some bruises on my chest and arm from it. It was the strangest thing. Tyler just thinks I'm exaggerating. Maybe I am, but there is definitely something different about Stefan Salvatore.

Speaking of Tyler, apparently we resumed our friends with benefits arrangement today. He caught me completely off guard when he suggested it. I guess him and Vickie are over so he is back to his normal horny self. I'm not complaining though, he is great at what he does! Although I do feel bad things didn't work out with Vickie. It seemed like he really cared about her a lot. I haven't seen him act that way towards anyone ever.

Well, I better get to bed. Hopefully I will have pleasant dreams of the mystery man from today. Till next time!

Love, Elena

**Please let me know if you are interested in this story. I have a few more chapters ready to go, but since it is my first fan fic I thought I'd just put up one chapter to start. If anyone is interested in reading more, I'll keep going!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! I am not sure how to reply to them yet. I am still learning to use this site, so please bear with me. I've been reading for awhile, but not posting. If anyone has tips for me, I would be grateful! **

**I don't own Vampire Diaries! I'm just obsessed with it and in love with Ian Somerhalder!  
**

**Chapter 2**

The next day Bonnie and Caroline cornered me in the lunchroom as I was headed to Tyler and my table.

"Elena, we have to talk. This has gone on long enough. We understand that you were grieving after the accident, but you can't keep pushing us away. We are your best friends and we love you. Please let us back in." Bonnie pleaded. She had such a sad look on her face, it made me feel awful. Then Caroline piped in.

"We are going to the Grill tonight to celebrate Matt's birthday. You and Tyler are going to join us. We won't take no for an answer. See you at 7:00." Then she walked away, pulling Bonnie along with her. Ugh. Now let's see if I can actually talk Tyler into this.

"Hey. I saw you get trapped over there. What did the Bobsey Twins want?" Tyler asked as I sat down next to him with my lunch.

"They said we have to go to the Grill tonight for Matt's birthday celebration." I looked to Tyler waiting to see his reaction.

"Hell no. I tried and tried to make things right with that dick. He wanted no part of it, so screw his birthday." Tyler didn't get upset often, but talking about Matt always did the trick. I know he hated the fact that they weren't friends anymore. It really killed him when Matt first started giving him the cold shoulder. Matt just couldn't understand the fact that Tyler and I were friends and ONLY friends. Obviously now there is slightly more between us than friendship, but there wasn't then. Matt was just being jealous and irrational.

"Come on Tyler. I know deep down you want to make up with Matt. And I have to admit I do miss them all. We have done a pretty good job of alienating ourselves the last few months." I gave him my best sad eyes and hoped he would give in.

"Fine! But you owe me big time!" He finally conceded.

Later that night Tyler picked me up and we headed towards the Grill. As we were walking in he said, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this. It's not going to end well, I'm sure."

"Come on, maybe it will be like old times. We'll play some pool, have a few drinks, just hang out with our friends. At least _try_ to have a good time."

As we entered the Grill Caroline let out a high pitched scream and ran over to us. "Oh, I'm so glad you guys came! I mean, I knew you would after our chat. But I still had my doubts. We are going to have so much fun tonight!"

"Take it down a notch Carol. We can hear you just fine without your high pitch squealing." Tyler deadpanned. Caroline just rolled her eyes and linked her arms with both of ours and pulled us over to the pool table where Bonnie and Matt were waiting.

"Hi guys." I said uncomfortably. I was okay with Bonnie and Caroline but I still felt pretty awkward around Matt. We hadn't talked much since we broke up, and I'm sure that me arriving with Tyler didn't help matters much. They both said hi and then another person joined our group.

"Elena, Tyler, this is Stefan Salvatore. He's new in town, living at the old Boarding House out by Wickery Bridge. I invited him to hang out with us so he could get to know some of our classmates." Caroline told us with a huge smile on her face. It was obvious she was into this guy.

"Yeah, we met this morning. Sorry again for flying into you like that. I was in a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going." I couldn't stop thinking about how hard he was when I ran into him. Maybe it was just my imagination.

"It's no problem. Did you leave early for an appointment or something? They called your name in a few of my classes but you weren't there." Tyler and I gave each other a look and started busting up laughing.

"Well, Tyler didn't feel like going to class so we ditched. Went to a bar a few towns over, had some drinks and I kicked his ass at pool." I laughed again thinking about what we were _really_ doing during our day off.

"Okay, well let's play a game. Bonnie, you and Matt will be partners. I will be with Stefan, and Elena will be with Tyler. You four are up first. Stefan and I will go get us all some drinks." Caroline said as she grabbed Stefan and dragged him up to the bar with her. Stefan kept looking at me as he walked away with a strange look on his face. It was as if he was in pain, but not physical pain, more like emotional pain about something. Oh well, Caroline will help him forget all about whatever it is.

I turned to Bonnie and Matt and said, "You guys ready to play? You're going down!" Tyler and I bust up laughing again at the inside joke. Bonnie and Matt just rolled their eyes and the game began. Tyler and I basically ran the table and beat them in about ten minutes. Next up was Stefan and Caroline. As Stefan was racking, Vickie walked into the Grill. I noticed Tyler's demeanor change immediately. I pulled him over to the hallway by the bathroom so we could talk.

"Go talk to her Tyler. Obviously you still want to be with her. And from the way she kept looking back at you, she feels the same way."

"It's just all so complicated. There's me and you, which drives her nuts. There's the fact that Matt is her brother and he hates me. I just don't know if we can make it work."

"Tell her that I am _just _a friend. What happened yesterday was nothing, she will never know about it. I'm sure not going to tell anyone and neither are you, so we have no problem. We both know we don't have feelings for each other, so tell her that."

"Fine. But if you tell anyone about this whole conversation, I will deny deny deny."

"Of course you will! Don't want anyone thinking that Tyler Lockwood has _feelings_ for another human being!" I laughed and gave him a little push in her direction. Then he caught me by surprise when he grabbed my hand and said, 'Hey. You know I have feelings for you too, right? They may not be feelings of wanting to be your boyfriend, but you're my best friend and I love you for that."

"I know. I love you too. Now go get your woman before that guy next to her has a chance to buy her a drink!"

I went back to the pool table and met an annoyed Bonnie and Matt, an anxious looking Stefan, and an oblivious Caroline. "Where have you been? We're ready to start the game." Matt said as he shot a death stare at Tyler's back.

"I was talking to Tyler, sorry. And now I have lost my partner anyway so we'll have to forfeit. You four can just play each other."

Just as I was about to turn and head to the bar for a drink, I heard a melodical sounding voice to my right. "I'll be your partner." I turned to see who it was and was face to face with the man from yesterday. He was even more amazing close-up.

"Umm, wh-who are you?" I asked in a stuttered voice. I instantly felt my cheeks grow hot. I can't believe I am blushing over a guy. That hasn't happened to me since junior high!

"Why Stefan, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" He gave Stefan a slight smirk and Stefan let out a sigh.

"Guys, this is my brother Damon. Damon, this is Elena, Bonnie, Matt, and Caroline. And that over at the bar is Elena's partner Tyler. So I don't think you're needed here." Interesting. Apparently these two do not get along so well. Damon completely ignored Stefan and walked right up to me and grabbed my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elena." He then leaned down and kissed my hand. He actually kissed my hand! No one had ever done that to me before. I felt like I was in the 1800's with a boy courting my affections. "Would you give me the honor of being my partner in this game of pool?" He batted his eyelashes at me and waited for my answer.

"Sure, as long as they are fine with me trading partners mid-play." I said and looked to Stefan and Caroline. She nodded her approval but I could tell Stefan was not happy about this situation. We started playing, with me and Damon smoking them, of course. Right as I was getting ready to shoot the 8-ball, Damon leaned in my ear and said "What do you say we make this game a little more interesting?" I completely missed the 8-ball and ended up scratching, causing us to lose the game. I was so in shock that I couldn't help but stare at him. Finally Caroline shook me out of my reverie.

"Earth to Elena! What is going on with you? I can't believe I actually beat you at a game of pool! This is definitely a first! It's going down in the history books!" She said with a laugh. Now that I had lost, Caroline and Stefan were going to play Bonnie and Matt for the championship. This was definitely the first tournament we ever had that I was not in the championship game. Tyler was the only one in our group that could ever beat me. As the next game started I sat down at a nearby table, still thinking about what Damon had said and wondering how on earth he knew that Tyler had said the exact same thing yesterday. I decided I needed to talk to Tyler about this. I saw Vickie head towards the restroom so I hurried over to the bar.

"Ty, he's here."

"Who's here?" He asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"The guy. From the bar yesterday. The one who watched us."

"What? Where is he? Do you think he followed you? Maybe I better have a chat with him." He was getting angry and I knew when Tyler got angry it would most likely end in a fight.

"No, he didn't follow me. He is Stefan's brother. Don't say anything to him either! I don't want you fighting."

"Fine, but if he tries anything with you, his head is mine." Then Tyler paused and just looked at me for a minute, as though he wanted to ask me something but didn't know how. He finally spoke. "Hey, would you mind getting a ride from Bonnie or Caroline? Vickie and I have been talking and I think we're gonna get out of here, go have a long talk about everything and try to work all this shit out." I could tell he felt terrible not taking me home, but I was happy to see him having true feelings for a girl.

"Absolutely, don't even worry about it! I was actually thinking about walking to get a little exercise and fresh air. I'll just see you in the morning." With that I walked back over to the pool tables to let the others know I was heading out. It had been a long confusing night and I needed some fresh air to clear my head.

After assuring Bonnie and Caroline that I was fine walking home, I headed out. I was about three blocks from the Grill when the most amazing black corvette pulled up next to me. For a split second I was a little anxious about who could be in the car, but as soon as the window rolled down I instantly relaxed. I should have known that beautiful man would drive a beautiful car.

"Hey Elena. You want a ride?" Once again he had that trademark smirk on his face, obviously enjoying the double meaning to his statement.

"I'm fine, I don't live too far from here." I said with a shrug. So far he has had the upper hand on me this whole time. It's time for me to turn things around.

"Oh come on. I won't bite...hard." Something about the way he said it made me shiver slightly. I'm not sure if it was out of fear or excitement. Either way, I decided to get in the car. I gave him directions to my house and then we drove for a few blocks in silence. Finally I just had to ask.

"How did you know?"

He looked at me and grinned. For a minute I thought he was going to play dumb but then he said, "I have very good hearing Elena"

"But you weren't even there. Trust me, I would have remembered seeing you. The bar was empty other than me, Tyler, and the bartender."

"I was there, I was just in the back room. And like I said, I have very good hearing." Then he gave that smirk again. The smirk that was equally exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. In this moment I wanted to slap that smirk right off his face.

"You couldn't have heard him from the backroom. He whispered it."

"Well, regardless of how I knew, you definitely seemed to enjoy me watching you. Are you always such a voyeur?"

"No. I've never done anything like that before. I don't know what got into me, I just couldn't pull my eyes away from you." As soon as the words left my mouth I immediately regretted it. Damon is obviously cocky enough without me adding fuel to the fire.

"I do tend to have that effect on women." He said with a grin. We pulled up to my house at that point and I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I wasn't ready to leave the car just yet. Then Damon reached over and grabbed my cell phone out of my hands.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I asked as I tried to grab it back. He typed a few things and the next thing I knew I heard his phone ringing.

"There, now we can call each other anytime. Have a great night Elena. It's been a pleasure."

"Oh, okay. Well thanks for the ride. See you later." With that I ran up to the house and went straight to my room. I had a _lot_ to write about in my diary!


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! I haven't figured out how to reply just yet. Still working on it! Here is my next chapter. Again, I don't own TVD. (Do I have to write that on every chapter? I always see others write it so I did to be safe, but I wasn't sure.)**

**PS-Bold indicates text messages.**

**Chapter 3**

Dear Diary,

I met my mystery man today! Can you believe it! I thought I would never see his gorgeous face again. There I was, playing pool with the gang (more on that later) and he just comes walking up and offers to be my partner. I agreed and right when I was about to sink the 8-ball to win the game he whispered in my ear "Want to make this more interesting?" or something like that...basically word for word what Tyler had said to me yesterday. So obviously he heard us. He claims he has really good hearing and was in the backroom at the bar. I think he's hiding something though, no one can hear THAT good. He ended up giving me a ride home from the Grill and then put his number in my phone. I wonder if he will call me? Ahh! I am like a giddy little schoolgirl over this guy. What is the matter with me? Hang on, my phone just beeped. It's probably Tyler telling me how things went with Vickie (more on that later too)...

OMG, OMG, OMG! It was a text from Damon. I have to reply. I will write more tomorrow!

Love, Elena

**You never answered my question earlier. -D**

**What question? -E**

**Care to make this more interesting? -D**

**Well considering you already caused me to lose the game, I'll have to pass. -E** There. Shot him down. Let's see how he takes that! I bet no girl has ever refused him in his life.

**Hmm...I guess I will just have to come up with a way to convince you to change your mind. I can be very persuasive Elena. -D** Just reading that text from him made me instantly wet and my mind started running wild with visions of me and Damon together, his hands and mouth all over me.

**I look forward to it. Sweet dreams Damon Salvatore. -E **

**You too Elena Gilbert. -D**

I lay back in my bed and reread our texts. I can't believe that God of a man is actually interested in me. I mean I know a lot of guys want me and that people say I'm a beautiful girl, but Damon is perfection. I decided I'd better finish that diary entry.

Dear Diary,

Sorry for the interruption. Damon and I had a fun little exchange through text messages. It basically ended with him saying he is very persuasive and will convince me to 'make things interesting' with him and me saying I look forward to it. That is pretty much stating flat out that we're going to hook up at some point. I can't wait for that day to arrive!

So about the gang. Bonnie and Caroline cornered me and convinced me to go to the Grill for Matt's birthday. So Tyler and I hung out with the three of them for the first time since Matt and I broke up. It was definitely awkward at times. But then Damon showed up and I pretty much tuned the rest of them out! I am glad to be working on this with them though. I love them all and hate that there is such a big rift between us these days.

Vickie was at the bar tonight. Tyler talked to her for a long time and then they left together so hopefully they worked things out. I really do think they are good for each other!

Well, that is basically all. I am going to go to bed and dream about Damon!

Love, Elena

The next day when I arrived at school I noticed Stefan arriving at the same time. As I began walking towards the building he called out to me so I stopped and waited for him to catch up. "Hey Stefan. What's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for my brother ruining the party last night. I know he can be really annoying at times. I hope he didn't cause any problems for you and Tyler." For me and Tyler? What was he talking about?

"What do you mean cause problems for me and Tyler?"

"Well, Damon was being pretty flirty, like always, and then you said you were walking home so I thought maybe Tyler was upset about it. Trust me, Damon causes issues like this all the time." He let out a small laugh although his face didn't show any humor. I was surprised by the amount of jealousy I felt at the mention of Damon flirting with other girls. I have really lost it over this guy. I need to get a grip.

"Stefan, I don't know what you're talking about. Damon was just being friendly. And Tyler and I are _just_ friends. Nothing more." I rolled my eyes at this, wondering what even gave Stefan the impression that we were more than friends.

"Come on Elena, I have seen you two together. You definitely don't act like 'just friends' when no one else is around." He did air quotes around just friends. Is this guy kidding me? How would be know how we act when _no one else_ is around?

"Okay Stefan, now you are kind of creeping me out. Tyler and I are friends, that's it. I don't know what you think you saw but I assure you we act the same in public as we do in private. If you don't mind, I really need to get to class. See you later." With that I took off towards homeroom. Is the guy stalking me or something? Weird.

When I got to class I sat at my usual table with Tyler and told him about the altercation with Stefan. He thought it was weird too.

"How would he know how we act when we're alone? Is he watching us or something?" Tyler asked in a tone that was a mixture of confusion and anger. "Wait! I know how he knows. His brother! You said him and Damon are brothers right? I'm sure Damon told him about the other day." No. I knew Damon wouldn't do that. I don't know how I knew it, but I just had this feeling about him. Plus, I get the feeling they don't get along the best, so I doubt Damon would share this information with Stefan of all people.

"No, he wouldn't do that. I get the feeling that Damon likes being in on a secret that no one else knows about." Tyler looked at me like he didn't believe me but then shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, if he does anything else to creep you out I'll take care of him."

"Thanks Ty. Sooooo...what happened with Vickie last night? Are you two in loooove?" I asked and then started making kissy noises at him.

"Funny. We talked, we're back together. No we're not in love. I don't do love. You know this." He said in a serious tone, but I could tell from the look on his face that he was not being honest.

"Come on Ty, it's me. You can be honest with me. I'm sorry for teasing you. I think it's great, really. So what did you guys decide about the previous issues? Namely me and Matt." I was nervous for the answer. I couldn't imagine my life without Tyler in it.

"I told her that you are my best friend and we're a package deal. If she can't get over it then we can't be together. I also told her that she has nothing to worry about because we are just friends...so I guess our friends with benefits arrangement is over again."

"Tyler that's great! I'm so glad you guys worked things out and that I still get to be your friend! And while the benefits are great, we both knew they weren't going to last forever. Now, what about Matt?"

"Well, here comes the part that might make you mad." I gave him a glare waiting to hear what it was he was about to tell me. "We agreed that if she would spend time with you, getting to know you and stuff, then I would try to work on things with Matt too. So will you, spend some time with her? I really want you two to get along E. It means a lot to me." He looked at me with his puppy dog eyes and I knew there was no way I could say no to him. Plus, I was secretly happy that he got roped into fixing things with Matt. I hated seeing them fighting and knowing I had a part in it.

"Absolutely! I'll talk to her and make some plans sometime in the next few weeks." Just then the teacher looked at us and told us to keep quiet so we spent the rest of the period in silence, each of us stuck in our own thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry it had taken me SO long to get this chapter ready. Here is finally is. I don't own TVD, just love writing about Damon!**

**Chapter 4**

A couple days passed and I hadn't heard from Damon at all. I thought about texting him a few times but then decided against it. I don't want to come across as too eager. He is very good at playing it cool so I will too. Friday came and I was so ready for the weekend. Although with Tyler and Vickie spending so much time together I had no clue what I was gonna do. As I pulled up to school I immediately spotted the black corvette. My heart started beating faster and I got wet just thinking about him sitting in his car. As I was staring at the car fantasizing about Damon, I heard a tap on my window. I looked over and about jumped out of my seat.

"Geez Damon, give me a heart attack why don't you!" I gave him a small glare but it didn't last when he started to speak.

"Like I said, I have that effect on women. What are you up to today Elena?"

"Well considering I just pulled into the school parking lot, I'd say I have class."

"From what I've seen it appears that you like skipping class. I was thinking maybe you'd want to skip with me today. What do you think?" I wanted to scream out yes, anything for you! But I managed to calm myself down and said, "Sure." and gave him a shrug.

"Great! Follow me." With that he started walking back to his car. I grabbed my stuff and followed him. I figured it would be better to leave my car here for the day than take it home and have Aunt Jenna find out that I skipped class again.

As we were pulling out of the school I sent Ty a quick message letting him know where I was going. **Ditching with Damon today. Wish me luck! Eek! -E **It wasn't long before I received a message back.

**Good luck! Hope you get laid so you can stop rambling on about this dude. -T **

**Haha! Very funny! And so do I! ;-) -E**

"Who are you texting?" Damon asked as he pulled on to the highway.

"Tyler, letting him know I'm ditching so he can cover for me."

"You two are pretty close, huh? But not dating. He seems to be more interested in that other girl from the Grill. But you don't seem to mind too much." He had a far off look in his eyes like he was deep in thought.

"Tyler and I are best friends. That's all. Yes, we have hooked up and done the whole 'friends with benefits' thing, but that's all off now that he's with Vickie." I smiled as I thought of how happy Tyler seems with her.

"And you're totally okay with that? No girly emotions of feeling left out?"

"Not at all. I've never thought of Tyler as anything more than a friend. Speaking of which, did you tell your brother about our little encounter the other day?"

Damon looked at me like I was crazy. "Seriously, you think I would tell my little brother who has a huge crush on you about that situation? Not likely Elena." As soon as he said it I could tell he instantly regretted it.

"Stefan has a crush on me? He doesn't even know me. And to be honest, he kind of creeps me out. He was saying some stuff to me about knowing me and Tyler are more than friends and he's sorry if you caused us any problems. It's almost like he was following me or something." This seemed to make Damon really angry. I had not seen this look on his face before, but I was pretty sure Stefan was lucky to not be anywhere around at the moment.

"He probably was. You look a lot like someone we used to know..." He trailed off and got really quiet. He was definitely in his own world with his thoughts.

"Who do I look like?" I was a little nervous to hear the answer.

"An ex-girlfriend."

"Stefan's ex or yours?" I really didn't want to hear that I looked like one of Damon's ex-girlfriends. Please say Stefan's, please say Stefan's…

"Both." The way he said it was as if it was the end of the conversation. Too bad, I am not letting it go that easily.

"So what, you are just wanting to spend time with me because I look like your ex? That's awesome. Take me back to school." Seriously, I am not going to be a replacement for him. What a slap in the face this was.

"It's not like that. Yes, when I first saw you I was shocked. You look _so _much like her, it's uncanny. But then I started learning more about you and saw your spitfire personality and I was hooked. Not because of Katherine, because of you." He was being completely serious, and I couldn't help but believe him, even though I wanted to pout and be mad still.

"Katherine? So that's her name? So if you love her so much why aren't you with her? And why did you and Stefan both date her? Gross." I crossed my arms and looked out the window determined to not talk to him anymore.

"Look Elena, you are nothing like Katherine. I promise you that. It's a long story about why we both dated her and I promise to tell you all about it someday, but today I just want to have fun and get to know you better. At least I was honest about it, right? If it was my broody brother you were with he would have just lied about the whole thing." Then there was silence. Damon drove and I just sat there, my emotions pulling me every which way. In the end I knew that I couldn't stay mad. He was right, he did tell me the truth. And I'm obviously enamored with him. I can't just walk away now and always wonder what could have been.

"Fine. I'll forget about it...for now. But we will talk about this again."

We didn't talk about Katherine or Damon's past the rest of the day. We drove for about an hour and when we finally stopped I realized we were at an amusement park. Damon parked and came around and opened my door for me before I even had time to unbuckle my seatbelt. "Oh my gosh, I love love love carnival rides!" I exclaimed, sounding like an excited child. Damon smiled and held out his hand to help me out of the car. This was a real, genuine smile. Not the cocky smirk I was used to seeing. It made him even more beautiful than before, if that was possible.

We spent the entire day at the park. We rode all the rides, played so many games Damon had to have spent a fortune, ate so much junk food that I felt sick to my stomach, and just had a carefree, fun time. Around 4:00 I decided to text Jenna and let her know that I wouldn't be home right after school.

**Aunt Jenna-I won't be home till ****later tonight. I am on a DATE! 3 E**

It only took a few minutes until I got a reply back from her.

**A DATE! With who? Where are**** you going? Is he cute? SPILL! 3 J**

**Damon Salvatore. An amusement park in Portsmouth. He is GORGEOUS! More details later! **** 3 E**

**Can't wait! Have a great time! 3 J**

"Are you texting Tyler again?" Damon asked with a hint of jealously in his voice.

"No, my Aunt Jenna. And is someone jealous?" I asked in a teasing voice.

"Well, not now that I know it's your aunt texting you." He said with a grin.

The sun was starting to set and we were on our final ride of the day, the Ferris wheel.

"Damon, this has been an amazing day. Thanks so much for bringing me here!" I was honestly impressed with Damon. I assumed that he just wanted to get me in bed after seeing me with Tyler, so I was not expecting a day like this.

"It was my pleasure Elena. Thanks for coming with me." He said this with that gentle smile that I was beginning to love and crave.

We finally decided to call it a day and made the hour drive back to Mystic Falls. We started the trip with light banter, but slowly moved into more serious territory when Damon asked about my family.

"Well, I have a brother that is two years younger than me. His name is Jeremy. He is so smart and is a really talented guitar player. I just know he is going to be famous someday." I said with a smile. I really did have high hopes for Jeremy and I knew from a young age that he could do great things with his life.

"What about your parents, I'm sure your mother is as beautiful as you are," Damon said with a grin. And here comes the hard part.

"Actually, my parents died last summer. There was a bad storm and we were in an accident on Wickery Bridge. Jeremy and I made it out, but my parents didn't." I explained somberly.

"I'm so sorry Elena, I shouldn't have asked. I didn't know."

"No, it's okay. I need to talk about them. Everyone else always avoids the subject, except Tyler of course. That's why we're so close. After they died my other friends all avoided the topic at all costs, or they would just say they were sorry over and over and I could always see that sad look in their eyes. I got to the point where I couldn't stand them feeling sorry for me any longer or treating me like the sad, broken girl. Then one day I ran into Tyler at a pool hall a few towns away. We had always been in the same group of friends but were never very close. Well that day we struck up a conversation and started playing pool together. I had such a great time and completely forgot about all my worries. Then that night as he was driving me home, he said something that I will never forget. He said 'Elena, I know what you went through with your parents was an awful thing that no kid should ever have to go through, but I want you to know that I think you are one of the strongest people I know and you have handled it amazingly.' I looked at him with tears welling up in my eyes and then he said 'No crying allowed. I am not ever going to feel sorry for you or make you think about the sad times. We will only ever talk about happy memories. You can save the sad stuff for Bonnie and Caroline. I will be your relief from the pain and I promise you will never cry when you're with me.' And he was right. I never did. As he and I grew closer, I pulled away from my other friends because I just wanted to be happy and move on from the grief, when they all seemed to want to revel in it. That night at the grill when you and I met, that was the first time I had actually hung out with Bonnie, Caroline, and Matt since the day I met up with Tyler at that pool hall."

With that I began reminiscing about my parents. Treating this situation as I did with Tyler, talking about the happy times with my family. It was so nice to talk about them and to share funny stories with Damon. He seemed to really enjoy it as well. I also told him all about my Aunt Jenna, who had moved in with me and Jeremy after the accident and had become our legal guardian. Finally, when we were just outside of Mystic Falls, I realized that we had been talking about me the whole drive home.

"Okay, enough about me and my life. I want to know more about you. What are your parents like? Do you have any other siblings besides Stefan? And why do you and Stefan seem to have so much animosity towards each other?"

Just then we pulled up outside of my house. "Look at that, saved by the bell" Damon said with a chuckle.

"You aren't getting out of it that easily mister. Tomorrow we're talking all about you!" I realized as I said it that I was insinuating that we would be together tomorrow even though Damon had not asked me to hang out. I began to blush slightly for making such an assumption but then Damon spoke up.

"I guess if that's what it takes for me to spend more time with you, I'll give you my whole life story." He got out of the car and came to open my door for me, again so quickly I barely had a chance to unbuckle before my door was opening for me. _How did he do that?_

"I had a great day today Elena. Can I pick you up at 10:00 tomorrow morning? I have somewhere I'd like to take you, since it is all about me after all." He said with a smirk.

"Sounds great to me." I said, wondering where he would take me. With that he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, which really caught me off guard. I definitely would not have complained about a kiss on the lips, but I guess this is his way of being a gentleman.

"Till tomorrow then." He said as I walked inside. After I closed the door behind me I let out a little girly squeal. I was expecting Jenna to be waiting for me to hear all the dirt, but she must have went to bed already. So instead I ran to my room ready to write about my day in my diary.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a short chapter, but I wanted to get it out since I've been slacking lately. I don't own TVD.**

**Chapter 5**

Dear Diary,

I spent the entire day with Damon. We went to an amusement park and rode every single ride and played every single game. Damon must have a lot of money because it couldn't have been cheap, and he wouldn't let me pay for anything! He is so amazing. Not only completely gorgeous, but also an amazing listener and so much fun! I can't remember ever feeling like this about anyone before. I even talked to him about my parents and told him about how Tyler and I had become so close. I've never told that story to anyone before. I can't believe how strongly I feel for this guy after only knowing him a few days. It's kind of scary but incredibly exciting at the same time. I hope he feels the same way I do! Tomorrow he is taking me somewhere that I assume has to do with his past, because tomorrow is his day to tell me all about him! I can't wait to learn more, he seems so mysterious. I am excited to learn as much as I can.

Ooooo! I just got a text from him! Gotta go! Till next time…

Love,

Elena

**Can I pick you up at noon instead? There's something I have to take care of in the morning. –D**

I guess I can live without seeing him for a couple more hours. I wonder what I should wear? I better find out some more detail about where we're going.

**Sure. I'll be ready! How should I be dressed anyway? –E**

**Just casual. Wear tennis shoes if you have them. –D**

**Are we going to be playing tennis? Or running? I hate running. –E**

**No hints. :-) And no, we're not going to be running. –D**

**Okay, see you tomorrow then. –E**

**Noon. Can't wait. –D**

It was only 10 and I wasn't really tired enough for sleep yet, so I decided to see what Tyler was up to.

**Hey Ty! What are you doing? –E**

**Just heading home from Vick's. Her mom is imposing an early curfew because we were out extra late the other night after the Grill. ;-) -Ty**

**Eww, I don't want to know details! Come over. I'm bored. And don't text while you're driving! –E**

**Then stop texting me back! Be there in a few. –Ty.**

About ten minutes later Tyler came walking into Elena's room. Since they had grown so close, Tyler was practically another member of the family. He had a key and pretty much came and went as he pleased. When Elena wasn't around he would hang out with Jenna or play video games with Jeremy.

"Hey you! Sooooo, how was your day with tall, dark, and mysterious?" Tyler asked as he kicked off his shoes and flopped onto my bed.

I didn't waste anytime going into detail about my day. "It was amazing! We spent the whole day at the amusement park in Portsmouth. It was so much fun. And then on our way home we got into more serious territory. I told him all about my parents and you and…" Just then Tyler interrupted me.

"What do you mean all about me?"

"I just explained how we became so close and I told him how important you are to me. And I hopefully made him understand that we are just friends. Although he did get a little jealous when I was texting Jenna and he thought it was you. Apparently Matt isn't the only one who has a hard time believing we're just friends!" He seemed appeased with this answer to I continued on, telling him about how great Damon was. Then he began telling me about his day with Vicki and how he tried to talk to Matt.

"I was at her house watching a movie when Matt got home. I asked him if we could talk and he just grunted and went to his room, so I took that as a yes and followed. I said 'Look, I'm sick of us not talking. Me and E are just friends, that's all. I'm with your sister, and I really care about her a lot dude. I just want you and me to move on and be friends again.' Well, he wasn't crazy about me calling you E, but eventually we were able to have a civil conversation. It isn't back to normal, but things are definitely improving so that's good."

"Oh Ty, I'm so happy! I hated you and Matt not talking, especially when it was because of me! I knew he would come around eventually and things would get back to normal."

"Calm down killer. It isn't all good news." He said and then paused like he didn't want to tell me the next part.

"What is it?" I asked, starting to get concerned.

"Well, when Matt and I were talking about you and how you and I are only friends, Matt somehow got it in his head that if we are only friends then he is clear to try to work things out with you. I told him you were on a date with Damon. He wasn't very impressed with that. He said Stefan told him Damon is a shady guy and that I should tell you to stay away from him." Huh. I wasn't expecting that. I thought Matt understood that he and I were finished, regardless of me and Tyler's relationship. And what is with Stefan? He is really starting to get on my nerves.

"Damon said him and Stefan don't get along the best, so I guess I'm not surprised by that. Apparently they both dated the same girl and haven't gotten along the best ever since. Damon didn't say much about it, but I will be finding out more tomorrow! And as for Matt, ugh! What do I need to do to convince him that we are never going to be more than friends?"

"I don't know E, but he said he's not giving up so I'd be expecting to hear from him soon if I were you." We both sat there thinking things over for a minute and then Tyler said, "Enough girl talk for one day. Let's watch a movie."

We put on Anchorman, one of our favorites, and got comfy in my bed. Before long we were both sound asleep, and we didn't notice the figure outside of my bedroom window.


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own TVD.**

**Chapter 6**

The next morning Tyler and I had breakfast with Jenna and Jeremy. Then Jenna and I left the boys playing video games so that I could fill her in on my date with Damon. She was so excited to meet him that she cancelled her plans with her boyfriend Alaric so that she could be home when he picked me up. Vickie was busy with her family until the afternoon, so Tyler hung out all morning as well. When Damon showed up just before noon to get me, Tyler answered the door and put Damon into a strange mood.

"Hey man. I'm Tyler. I've heard a lot about you." Tyler said with a laugh, oblivious to Damon's mood.

Damon stayed on the porch and said, "Yeah, I'm Damon. Nice to meet you."

Tyler realized he wasn't coming in so he said "Come on in, E will be down shortly. She's up there having girl talk with Jenna."

He followed Tyler to the living room where Jeremy was. "You must be Jeremy. I've heard a lot about you." He stuck out his hand and Jeremy stood up to shake it.

"You too dude. We're playing Grand Theft Auto, wanna play?" Jeremy asked as he put his attention back to the game.

"No thanks. I'll just wait for Elena."

The boys carried on with their game and after a few minutes Elena and Jenna came downstairs. Jenna looked like she was in shock when she saw Damon. She knew Elena had described him as gorgeous, but that was an understatement.

"Hi there, I'm Elena's Aunt Jenna. You must be Damon, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. I've heard so much about you." Damon said and put on his signature smile that could make any girl swoon.

Elena saw the look on Jenna's face, swooning indeed, and decided it was time to go. "Well, we're heading out. I won't be home until sometime tonight. See you guys! Tyler, tell Vickie I'm free tomorrow if she wants to hang out. We can go to the mall or something. Have her text me."

We all said our goodbyes and Damon led me to his car. He was being really quiet and I knew something was up.

"What's going on Damon? You seem like you're in a bad mood." I asked quietly. I felt strange having this conversation but something was definitely up with him.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just had a rough morning. I don't want to talk about it." He said with a finality to his voice that told me not to pry. So I didn't and we drove for about 20 minutes in silence. Finally, I had to say something.

"Okay, something is going on. If you aren't going to tell me, just take me home. I'm not going to spend the day getting the silent treatment from you." I didn't mean to sound so bitchy, but it came out that way. I looked at Damon and was surprised to see a slight blush on his cheeks. What did he have to be bashful about? And since when was he ever bashful anyway? I didn't think that was something he would ever feel.

"Fine. This is going to sound really stupid and lame, but I don't want you to go home so I guess I'll just tell you." He slowed down and pulled into a gas station parking lot so that he could look at me. Just when I thought he wasn't going to say anything else, he finally spoke up.

"I was a little surprised when Tyler answered your door…and I was kind of jealous. I know you say you guys are just friends, but Stefan keeps insisting to me that you are more than that and that you are not being honest with me about it. I'm not saying I believe him, but when I showed up and he was there, I have to admit I wasn't happy about it."

"What the hell is Stefan's problem? Seriously, Tyler is my best friend and that is all! Why is Stefan so insistent that there is more going on? And how would he even know? I've only seen him outside of school one time!" I was furious. Why was Stefan so concerned with Tyler and my relationship?

"Were you with Tyler last night, after I left?" Damon asked, sounding almost sheepish like he was afraid of insulting me by asking me. How did he even know that?

"Yes, After you left he came over and we talked and then watched a movie and he spent the night. It was all innocent though, I swear. We actually talked about you most of the time!"

"Where did he sleep? Did he sleep in your bed?" Damon asked. Okay, this is getting too weird.

"Yes, he slept in my bed. How do you know that? Were you spying on me?" Now I was starting to get pissed. How did he know all of this? And what does this have to do with Stefan?

"No I wasn't spying on you! But I'm not okay with dating someone that has other guys sleep in their bed Elena. Or should I call you E? Maybe this was a bad idea."

Now I was completely irate. How dare he get mad at me for having my best friend over. And what is with the snarky comment about Ty's nickname for me? "Seriously Damon? I've known you for a week. One week. Tyler has been my friend my whole life. And he has practically lived at my house for the last year. I'm so sorry I didn't realize that I need to change my life around for you after a week! Yes, Tyler and I have hooked up. You are the only other person that even knows about that, but we are nothing more. Neither of us ever wanted to be more than friends, it was just convenient to hook up with each other instead of other people because we were always together. But now things are different. Or at least I thought they were. I haven't touched Ty since the night I met you because all I have been able to think about since that night is YOU!" I was practically shouting by this point.

"Well it's kind of hard for me to believe that Tyler is okay with going from you guys hooking up all the time to stopping cold turkey. He is a guy after all. And the thought of him sleeping in bed next to you and trying to mess around with you drives me crazy! You're all I think about too Elena, and I want you. For myself. That may sound selfish or messed up because I haven't known you very long, but it's true. I don't want anyone else to touch you ever, only me." Now Damon was raising his voice too. How did this all spiral out of control so fast? And why am I so turned on by his possessiveness? I took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"Damon, please try to understand this. Tyler is completely in love with Vickie. He won't admit it yet, of course, but I know he is. He has never been like this with any other girl. And if it was any other girl he would still want to hook up with me on the side, but not with Vickie. She is all that he wants. And to tell you the truth, Tyler is so happy for me that I have met you. When Vickie decided to take him back, he was worried about me because it would mean us spending less time together. So he was thrilled last night when I was telling him how great you are and how much fun we had together. So please, stop being jealous and worrying about Tyler. He is my best friend. You are the man that I want to be with."

We both sat there looking at each other for a moment, and then he grabbed me and gave me the deepest kiss I've ever had in my life. I could feel the emotion oozing out of him. It was amazing, just like I knew our first kiss would be. Things quickly began to heat up and the next thing I knew I was straddling him and we were kissing as if our life depended on it. I finally had to pull away to catch my breath and then we both started laughing. Our laughter grew and grew until it was borderline hysterical. We finally caught our breath and I moved back to my seat.

"Can we get back to our trip now?" I asked with a smile.

"Absolutely." He said and took my hand in his. We drove in silence for awhile, although this time it was a comfortable silence. Both of us thinking about what had happened and all that had been revealed about our emotions. I never would have thought I would be so caught up in a guy after only knowing him for a week, but I honestly felt like he was a part of me now and I couldn't live without him. That can't be healthy! The whole Stefan thing was really bugging me. At the risk of starting another argument, I knew I had to find out.

"So what is going on with Stefan? Is he the one who told you Tyler stayed in my room? And how would he even know? My room is on the second floor. And while you're at it, why don't you two get along? He is really starting to creep me out!"

"Yes, Stefan is the one who told me that Tyler stayed with you. I don't know how he knew, but he was taunting me this morning. Telling me that you aren't really interested in me and that Tyler is your boyfriend you are just leading me on. I was totally blowing him off until I showed up and Tyler answered the door. Then I just sort of freaked I guess. I started wondering if everything he was saying was true."

"Well it's really weird that Stefan even knew that. He had to have been watching my house or something. You need to tell him to back off."

"Trust me, I will. He and I will be having a talk when I get home tonight. As for the reason we don't get along, it's a really, really long story. And it's not a happy, light-hearted one. Are you sure you want to go down that road today?"

"You know what, he has taken up way too much of our day already. You can explain all that to me later. And don't think I have forgotten about Katherine either. But for now, I want to hear happy stories. Tell me about your parents." Damon seemed relieved by this. Almost too relieved, which made me want to hear about Stefan that much more. But I could wait. Today I just want to be happy and enjoy our time together.

As we were driving, Damon told me all about his parents. I could tell he really loved his mother. He got a light in his eye when he talked about her. His father seemed like a real ass, so we didn't talk about him a whole lot. His parents had both died years ago. He didn't want to go into the details right now, which was fine with me. I was more interested in the happy stories today. After a couple hours of driving, we finally pulled down a long drive. There was an old barn and the remains of a house that was long since torn down.

"Where are we?"

"This is where I grew up. Well, the house is gone, but you get the idea. I come here a lot just to get away from things. I figured since we were talking about me today, it would be nice to share this with you."

Wow, I didn't even know what to say. I felt so honored that he was bringing me to a place to dear to his heart.

"Come on, I'll show you around!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the barn. We spent the whole day exploring. He showed me where he and Stefan used to play hide and seek in the barn. He took me down to a swimming hole they used to frequent, which seemed more like a river now than a small lake like he described. He told me story after story about his childhood. We even had a picnic down by the water at sunset. Finally, we decided we should start heading back to Mystic Falls.

We got to my house around 10:00 pm. From the looks of it, everyone was either in bed or out for the night. I asked Damon if he wanted to come in for awhile, but to my disappointment he declined.

"I would love to, but I really have some things I need to take care of." He walked me to the door, gave me a steamy kiss goodnight, and then he was off. I decided to write in my diary and get to bed early. Just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, my phone beeped indicating a new text message.

**Had a great time with you today! I have to go out of town for a couple weeks, family emergency. I'll get in touch as soon as I'm back. –D**

What family emergency would take someone a couple weeks? And why is he being so vague about it? Weird.

**Me too! I'll miss you. I hope it's nothing serious. Text or call when you can. xo –E**

**I will. ****Sweet dreams beautiful! -D**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own TVD.**

**Chapter 7**

The next week seemed to drag on forever! I missed Damon like crazy, which was a little scary considering we hadn't even known each other all that long. He sent me texts a few times a day, but I never got any phone calls. And he never explained what his family emergency was. I decided he would tell me when he was ready, so I didn't pry. When the weekend came around, Bonnie and Caroline asked me to go out with them Friday night. I figured it would be better than sitting home missing Damon, so I agreed. We went to the Grill and met up with Matt and Stefan. Tyler and Vickie were there too so we all hung out. It was actually a lot of fun and I was finally able to get my mind off of missing Damon. Towards the end of the night everyone started heading home. Tyler and Vickie had left awhile ago and Bonnie caught a ride home from them. She wasn't feeling well all of a sudden. Caroline and Matt were playing a game of pool so Stefan and I ended up at the table alone. I decided to confront him about the Tyler situation.

"How did you know Tyler stayed at my house last Friday night? And that he slept in my room?" I was trying to be calm and give him the benefit of the doubt, instead of just calling him a stalker right off the bat.

"I was driving by and saw him show up. I didn't know he slept in your room though, how would I know that?"

"I know you told Damon he slept in my room. That you were taunting him about it Saturday morning." Stefan looked at me like I was crazy.

"Elena, I swear that never happened. When Damon said he was going to pick you up, I said I saw Tyler get there last night. He asked what the deal was with you two and I told him that I had seen you guys around and you seemed really close, closer than friends. But that was all we talked about. Damon got pissy and stormed off." Stefan seemed so genuine in his response, it was hard to not believe him.

"Well how would you know how Tyler and I act when we're alone? I've barely ever seen you outside of school." This was getting too confusing.

"Before the school year started, I was around town a lot, getting to know my way around. I saw you guys a few times here and there. Sometimes holding hands or kissing. I just assumed. I'm sorry if that was wrong."

"We never kissed in public. Where did you see us?"

Stefan seemed a little nervous at this question and was silent for a minute before he finally responded. "I was helping out one of your elderly neighbors with her yardwork this summer. I saw you guys in your backyard. I'm sorry if that sounds creepy, I wasn't spying on you or anything like that, honest! You guys were just hard to miss sometimes. I'm surprised you never saw me mowing or doing other odd jobs around Mrs. Clemson's yard."

Now that I thought about it, I did remember there being someone at her house all summer. I just assumed it was a grandson or something.

"I do remember you now. I'm sorry I accused you of spying on me. I didn't mean it like that. I was just so confused on how you knew so much. Tyler and I haven't told any of our friends about us hooking up. I would appreciate it if you would keep that to yourself. It's all in the past now and it would just cause problems for him and Vickie if she found out."

"Sure, no problem. My lips are sealed." He did a motion like locking up his lips and throwing away the key. I let out a giggle and Stefan had a big smile on his face. I was glad we got that all cleared up. Although now I am back to wondering how Damon knew about Tyler staying in my room. Or had he just made that up to catch me in something? If that is the case, I am not going to be very impressed. I do not like to play games. I guess we'll just have to talk about it when he gets back since I don't even know where he is or what he's doing. Wow, I'm not bitter at all.

Now that things were cleared up with me and Stefan, we were able to actually have fun and enjoy each others company. We decided to play doubles in pool against Matt and Carol. We kicked there ass, naturally. Finally around midnight we all decided we should head home. Matt and Stefan both had their cars and we decided based on where we lived that it would make most sense for Stefan to drive me home and for Matt to drive Caroline. We all said our goodbyes and went on our way. It was a short drive and before I knew it we were pulling up to my house. Stefan got out and walked me to the door.

"I had a great time with you tonight Elena. I'm glad we got all the Tyler stuff cleared up. I hope we can hang out again soon." I had to admit, I had a lot of fun as well.

"Yeah, me too. Here, let me see your phone and I'll give you my number." I grabbed his cell and called myself with it. "There, now you can text me or something. I think Bonnie and Care are sleeping over tomorrow. Maybe you and Matt can come hang out with us for awhile or something."

"That sounds great. See you later." Stefan kissed me on the cheek and headed back to his car. I was a little surprised by the gesture, but I guess it wasn't that big of a deal. Matt and Tyler both kiss me on the cheek all the time. If Stefan and I are friends now, that's normal, right?

After I got changed and crawled into bed, I realized that my phone was blinking with a message. When I checked it, there turned out to be 4 missed texts. I guess I had forgotten to look at my phone during the end of the night. The first three were from Damon.

**Hey beautiful! Missing you tonight. What are you up to? –D**

**Wow, the silent treatment. I guess you must be out having a good time without me! –D **

**You're starting to worry me E. Is everything okay? Text or call me when you get this! –D **

The fourth was from Stefan.

**Had a great time tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow. You and your friends are all great. I'm glad to be a part of the group! –S **

I wasn't exactly sure what to reply to Damon, so I wrote Stefan first.

**I had a great time too! We're all happy to get to know you. See you tomorrow night! –E **

I then reread Damon's messages a few times trying to decide what to reply.

**Sorry, didn't check my phone all night. Was at the grill with Bonnie, Carol, Stefan, Matt, Ty, and Vick. Wish you would have been there. We have lots to talk about when you get back. When will that be anyway? –E **

It was only a few seconds before I got a response.

**Hanging with Stefan, huh? I thought he was 'creepy'? I'll be back Thursday. –D **

Well, he obviously isn't happy about that. Maybe because he assumes I know he was lying.

**Yeah, he isn't like I thought. Just a misunderstanding. He's coming over tomorrow night to hang out with the gang again. –E**

Damon didn't reply after that. I finally decided he wasn't going to and just went to bed. When I woke the next morning, there was a message from him.

**I'm not impressed. –D**

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Am I not allowed to be friends with his brother? I do not let guys tell me who I can and cannot be friends with so he might as well get over it now!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I didn't text Damon all day on Saturday, and I never heard from him again either. Around 5 Caroline and Bonnie came over. We went to the store and got a bunch of junk food and some movies. Then at 7 the guys came over. I invited Tyler and Vickie too, but he said she wanted to be alone that night. I told him I didn't need to hear about it!

We ordered pizza, played games, and watched movies. We all had so much fun. Matt and I were able to actually hang out without it being awkward, so that was a nice change of pace. It actually seemed like there may be something developing between him and Caroline. I would have to ask her about that later. Stefan was so sweet too. It was hard to imagine that I used to find him so creepy now that I'd gotten to know him better. It was getting late and Jenna told the guys they should be heading home so they left and Bonnie, Caroline, and I huddled up for some girl talk.

"Someone has a crush on Elena!" Caroline said in a sing-song voice.

"What are you talking about?" I honestly had no idea who she meant.

"Stefan, duh! He's obviously into you!" I looked at her like she was crazy and then Bonnie piped up as well.

"Yeah, it's definitely obvious." Bonnie didn't seem to thrilled about this. I wonder if she has a thing for him.

"Guys, Stefan and I are _just friends_! I'm dating his brother, remember?"

"Yeah, well where is Damon at tonight? Maybe instead of being out of town on secret missions he should be here with you. I mean, what kind of family emergency pulls Damon away but not Stefan?" Hmm. I hadn't thought of that before. Why wasn't Stefan out of town? He hadn't mentioned any family emergency, and he didn't seem concerned with anything. Maybe Damon wasn't being honest about that either. How did I go from trusting him completely one day to doubting everything he tells me the next? This sucks.

"Enough about me! What is going on with you and Matt?" I asked looking right at Caroline. She instantly got a huge grin on her face.

"I don't know for sure, but it seems like he's interested in me doesn't it? I mean he's been really flirty lately. Oh my gosh Elena, is this okay with you? I never even thought about how you would feel if something happened between us!" She looked genuinely concerned that I would be angry with her.

"Care, you know Matt and I are just friends. Those feelings have been gone for a long time. I am really happy for you guys! I think you should definitely go for it!" I gave her a big smile and she hugged me saying thank you over and over again. She really has it bad for him.

We finally decided we better get some sleep. Just before bed I checked my phone to see if Damon had texted. Of course he hadn't. That pissed me off so I decided to text him instead.

**Grow up. –E **

I turned my phone on silent and passed out instantly.

The next morning we ate breakfast and hung out some more. The girls finally left around noon and I went upstairs to write in my diary.

Dear Diary,

I am so confused right now. Damon has been gone for a week. At first things were okay, we were still texting a lot and he was assuring me he'd be back soon and missed me like crazy. But then I hung out with Stefan Friday night and things have been weird ever since. According to Stefan, he never told Damon that Ty stayed in my room. And if Damon is really out of town for a 'family emergency' then why is Stefan still here? It just doesn't all add up. Then after I told Damon about hanging out with Stefan, he told me he wasn't impressed and I haven't heard from him since. WTH? I hate playing games. I hope Damon gets back soon so that we can talk about all of this and get things straightened out.

Speaking of Stefan, he has turned out to be a really cool guy. Super sweet, and really funny too. Him and Matt have really hit it off so the two of them hung out with us all weekend. I feel bad for thinking of Stefan as a creepy stalker a week ago! I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions before I get to know someone!

Oh, and Caroline and Matt are getting really flirty with each other. I know she is worried I will be mad about this, but I couldn't be more thrilled. I think they would be great together! And it would be nice to see him happy again too.

Well, I guess that's all for today. I really miss Damon. I wonder if he is missing me at all…

Love,

Elena

I put my diary down and decided to text Tyler to see what he was doing today. When I grabbed my phone I realized it was still on silent from last night. I had four missed calls and six text messages. The missed calls were all from Damon. Interesting. The first 4 texts were also from him. There was also one text from Caroline and one from Stefan.

**Grow up? Trust me Elena, I am more grown up than you know. –D**

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

**I've tried calling you a few times. I'm assuming you are mad and ignoring my calls. I'm sorry I got mad. You just don't understand the situation with Stefan and I. Please let me explain. I miss you. –D **

**I'm coming home today. I can't stand you not talking to me. Can I come see you when I get to town? –D **

I felt bad for making him think I was ignoring his calls so I decided to text back before checking the rest of my messages.

**I'm sorry, my phone was on silent. Not ignoring you. Please come over when you get to town. I miss you too. –E**

Damon replied almost instantly.

**I'll be there in 20 minutes. –D **

So much for being bored all day. I hope things go well with Damon. I'm not ready to just end things with him, but I need to know I can trust him too. I wonder what the other texts say.

**OMG! Matt asked me on a DATE! Next Friday. Are you sure it's okay? I hope so cause I said YES! We are soooo going shopping this week! Love you! –C**

**That's great Care! Let's go shopping tomorrow night after school! Love you too! -E**

Stefan's message definitely caught me off guard a little.

**Hey Elena! What are you up to today? I thought maybe we could hang out, get to know each other a little better. –Stefan**

I definitely wasn't expecting that. Doesn't he know I'm seeing his brother? I don't know much about this Katherine, but if he thinks it's going to be a similar situation he is way off base!

**Hey Stefan! Sorry, can't. Damon is headed back to town so we're hanging out. Some other time? –E **

Stefan must have been waiting for my reply because he replied almost instantly.

**Good luck with that. Some other time for sure. –Stefan.**

Good luck with that? What is that supposed to mean? I didn't have time to contemplate it because just then the doorbell rang. I dropped my phone on my bed and ran downstairs to greet Damon.


	9. Chapter 9

**I don't own TVD.**

**Chapter 9**

I flung the door open and saw Damon standing there looking like he lost his puppy. I think I surprised him when I threw myself into his arms and hugged him. I surprised myself a little too. Apparently I wasn't as mad at him as I thought.

"Whoa! It's good to see you too!" His sad face brightened up and he hugged me back tightly. "I was thinking this wasn't going to be such a happy reunion with the way we left things."

"I was mad at you until you got here, but then I was just so excited to see you I guess it wiped out the rest." I paused for a minute but then decided to add, "But you do have a lot of explaining to do. Let's go to my room so we can talk."

I grabbed Damon's hand and led him upstairs.

"So where have you been all week? If there was a family emergency, why wasn't Stefan with you? He didn't seem too alarmed that something was going on with his family members this past week." Might as well get straight to the point.

"An old family friend was in trouble and needed my help. I wanted to get some of my things from her attic anyway, so I thought it would be good to take care of both at once."

"What kind of trouble?" He was being too vague, which made me wonder what he was hiding.

"Look, there is a lot of stuff you still don't know about me. I really want to tell you everything, but trust me when I say it's going to be a _long_ conversation. How about this weekend we go on a road trip together. Then we will have plenty of time alone and I swear I will tell you everything you want to know." He gave me a hopeful look and I couldn't help but say yes. Just the thought of being alone with him for the weekend made me giddy.

"We need to talk about Stefan now though. He says he never told you anything about Tyler staying in my room and he said he didn't tease you about us dating either. Obviously one of you is lying. I really want to believe it's him, but he was so convincing. So tell me the truth Damon. How did you know Tyler slept in my room?"

"Elena I swear, Stefan said those things to me. I don't know why he is lying about it, but he is." As Damon said this he reached in his pocket and pulled something out. "I think I may know how he was so convincing. It's one more thing I promise to explain in detail this weekend. In the meantime, I have something for you."

He handed me a beautiful necklace with a heart shaped locket on the end. "Damon, it's beautiful!"

"Just like you." He said with a smile. "It was my mother's."

"What? No, I can't accept this. You should keep it."

"Elena, I want you to have it. She would have wanted you to have it too. It's what I went in search of this past week. Please wear it, for me." How could I say no to that?

"Of course I will Damon. I'll never take it off!" Then he said something under his breath that sounded like "I'm counting on it."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. It's not important. So can we just spend the rest of the day together and worry about everything else this weekend?" That sounded like a great plan to me. I just wanted to cuddle and be happy. All this confusion over the last week was draining.

"Absolutely! I'm kind of exhausted from this weekend. You wanna watch a movie and cuddle in bed all day?" As I said this I put my arms around his neck and pulled him down in bed with me.

"I thought you'd never ask!" We turned on a movie and settled in to watch. It didn't take long though before we were making out hot and heavy. Just when I thought we were about to take things to the next level, he pulled away.

"Not today. I want to spend this weekend together, tell you everything that I need to tell you, before we go any further." I thought that was an odd thing for a guy to say, and it made me wonder again about what all he planned to tell me. I figured it must be pretty serious. Apparently I really misjudged him when I thought he was all about getting my in bed. I really need to work on my first impression analytical skills.

We spent the rest of the day just cuddling and kissing occasionally. Around 6:00 that night Jenna said it was time for supper. Damon decided to head home since he had come straight here when he got to town earlier.

At dinner Jenna and I gossiped about Damon and Alaric and everything else going on in our lives. I told her that Damon was going to take me on a trip this coming weekend. Luckily for me Jenna is really cool about stuff like that so she didn't say I couldn't go. She said she'd rather have me tell the truth and know where I'm at than have me lie and go anyway. After dinner I headed upstairs to write in my diary and text Damon.

**Had a great time today! Can't wait till Friday. I already cleared it with Jenna so I am yours for the WHOLE weekend! ;) –E**

I put my phone aside and began writing in my diary.

Dear Diary,

Damon is back from his family emergency. I still don't really know what it was all about. We are going away together this weekend and he's promised to explain everything to me then. He said there is a LOT to talk about so I am super curious about that. I'm so glad we're okay. I am crazy about this guy.

Stefan sent me a text right before Damon got here yesterday asking if I wanted to hang out and get to know each other better. I hope he realizes that I am with Damon. And even if things don't work out with Damon, I am not this Katherine girl who dated them both. I have no intentions of dating brothers. Not that I am even interested in Stefan like that anyway. Speaking of Stefan, Bonnie was kind of weird the other night when Caroline was insisting that Stefan liked me. I wonder if she has a thing for him? I hope she knows I am NOT interested at all so that doesn't stop her from pursuing him. Maybe I should point that out to her when I see her next. Oh, and Stefan told me to be careful with Damon and that he's not who I think he is. Just another cryptic message from the Salvatores. They are both really good at that!

Well, that's all for now. Good night!

Love,

Elena

Just as I was wrapping up my diary entry, my phone beeped. I grabbed it expecting a reply from Damon, but was surprised to see a text from Stefan.

**I was thinking maybe 'some other time' could be some night this week. We could go to the grill for a burger or something. –Stefan **

Oh, I bet Damon would love that. Stefan really isn't taking the hint.

**I don't think that's such a great idea Stefan. I'm with your brother and even though I want to be your friend, I'm not sure he would be too happy about us getting a burger alone together. –E **

Then I got a text from Damon as well.

**I hope your mine for more than just the weekend. –D**

**Well that will depend on how this weekend goes, won't it? ;) –E **

It took Damon awhile to reply so I decided I better let him know that I was just kidding. I really didn't think that whatever he had to tell me was going to be as big of a deal to me as it seemed to be to him. I couldn't imagine anything that he could say that would make me not want to be with him.

**That was a joke. I'm yours as long as you want me. –E **

This time he replied right away.

**Sorry, Stefan was in here pestering me. I'll always want you Elena. –D **

**Always is a long time Damon. –E **

**Trust me, I know. Sweet dreams my beautiful Elena. –D **

Aww, swoon!

**Good night handsome. xoxo –E **

Just then I got a reply from Stefan as well.

**Damon is**** dangerous Elena. You should stay away from him. –Stefan.**

What the heck does that mean? He's dangerous? Yeah right. He sounds real dangerous in those texts I just got from him. And he seemed real dangerous when he was being a gentleman earlier today and stopped us from going too far.

**Whatever Stefan. I like your brother, we're together, going away for the weekend actually. You just need to accept that. –E **

**Don't say I didn't warn you. –Stefan**

Okay, every time I start think this kid is alright he goes and says something weird and gets me all creeped out again. I wonder if I should tell Damon about this? I think I'll wait until I see him in person to bring it up.

About an hour later I was still laying in bed thinking about what Stefan had said and about my weekend with Damon. I was so anxious for Friday to get here so that I could finally start to unravel the mystery surrounding Damon Salvatore.

NOT PEER REVIEWED


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The rest of the week went by in a blur. I hung out with Caroline and Bonnie a couple nights. We had a great time and it was so nice to be getting back into the routine of seeing all my friends. Wednesday night Damon came over for dinner with my family and Jenna and Jeremy both seemed to love him. Alaric joined us that night and there was something off between the two of them. I would have to remember to ask Jenna about that later.

Thursday night I got packed for my weekend with Damon. I had no idea where we were going or what we'd be doing so I packed outfits for all occasions. You'd think I was moving with the size of my luggage. Damon sent me a text asking if I wanted to skip tomorrow so that we could get an early start. I thought that sounded like a great idea and told him to pick me up in the morning as if he was giving me a ride to school, that way Jenna wouldn't be suspicious. She may be cool about me going away with a boy for the weekend, but she was not okay with me skipping class.

Around 10 I was getting ready for bed when I heard a knock on my door and Tyler walked in looking really upset.

"What's wrong Ty? Did something happen with Vickie?" I asked as I patted my bed for him to come sit by me.

"No. It's my parents. They've been fighting all week. Dad's drunk and mom's locked in her room crying. I just had to get out of there. Can I crash here tonight?"

"You know you don't ever have to ask. You should probably not sleep in my bed though." He looked at me with confusion. He and I always shared a bed, even before our whole 'friends with benefits' situation. We both craved the comfort we got from it.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Damon wasn't very happy the last time you slept over. And I can't really blame him. I probably wouldn't be too thrilled about some other girl sleeping in his bed, best friend or not."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Vickie would probably kick my ass if she knew too." He chuckled and that and got up to head to the couch, but I grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug first.

"I'm sorry Ty. Everything's gonna be okay. And you can stay here as long as you need to, okay?"

"Thanks E. I'll see you in the morning." With that he kissed me on the cheek and went downstairs. I always felt so bad for him when his parents fought. His dad could be so ruthless, and his mom never stood up for herself.

The next morning Tyler helped me drag my luggage downstairs. I told Jenna that Damon was picking it up this morning so that we could leave right after school today. I hated lying to her, but I was just too excited to sit through the whole day of classes. Damon showed up at 7:30 and he looked really surprised to see Tyler come walking outside with my luggage.

"Hey man. I can take it from here." He said as he took my suitcase from Tyler.

"Cool. Well, have fun you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do. Wait; don't do anything I _would_ do either!" I punched him playfully in the stomach and gave him a quick hug. As I did so I whispered, "You can stay in my room this weekend if you want. No worries." He gave me a quick nod of thanks and then headed towards his truck.

As soon as we got in the car Damon said, "So, Tyler slept over again, huh? Hopefully on the couch this time." He tried to come off playful but I could tell he seriously wanted to know.

"He's having some troubles at home. I don't want to get into it, but he'll probably be staying with us for awhile. On the couch, of course." I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed me before I could pull away and brought me into a passionate kiss. We finally pulled apart and headed out for our weekend trip.

Damon finally revealed that he was taking me to a cabin for the weekend. It was about three hours away and he said there was no talking about anything important until we got there. I agreed with that plan so instead we played silly car games, sang songs at the top of our lungs, and just had an easy going, fun time. We finally got to the cabin around lunch time because I had to stop and pee several times along the way. The cabin was amazing, like something right out of a romance novel. It was so cozy and there was a small beach and lake just down the road. I had a feeling this was going to be a great weekend. Damon took me on a tour of the cabin and then showed me to the room we'd be sleeping in. I got giddy thinking about us sleeping together, in more ways than one I hoped.

After we had our things unpacked, we went downstairs for lunch. Damon made us sandwiches and we sat out on the deck to eat. He was starting to seem really nervous and I finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you ready to tell me whatever it is that you think is gonna make me head for the hills?" I was joking but this statement seemed to make Damon tense up even more. I reached over and squeezed his had. "Calm down, okay? I can promise you that nothing you say will change how I feel about you. I'm crazy about you Damon Salvatore." This made him smile slightly but then he went back to looking incredibly nervous.

"I wouldn't make promises you can't keep Elena. Just please, hear me out. Let me tell you everything before you freak out. And just remember how you feel about me right now. I'm praying that what I have to tell you doesn't change that."

I started to tell him that it wouldn't, but he cut me off and started with his story.

"What do you know about vampires?" He looked at me with complete serious, even though I was totally thrown by that question.

"I don't know, I've never really thought anything about them. They are just folklore."

"Vampires are real, Elena." I almost laughed at this, but composed myself when I looked the serious expression he wore. I was so confused, I thought he wanted to be honest with me and tell me about his past, not talk about mythological creatures.

"Come on Damon, you said you were going to be serious with me. Why are we talking about vampires?"

"I am being serious Elena. Trust me, everything I am about to tell you is going to sound completely crazy, but I am not going to lie to you about anything. I want you to know about me." He paused for a minute, then dove head first into his tale. "I am a vampire Elena. Please, don't say anything; just let me get this all out before I lose my nerve. I was born in 1854. Stefan is my real brother, and everything I told you about my parents was true. I just didn't elaborate on how long ago it really was when they died. My mother passed when I was 16. I was devastated. My father never showed much interest in me. Stefan was his golden boy. I was just a screw up who never lived up to his standards. I finally decided I had to get away so I went off to fight in the civil war. I finally returned home in 1874. By then, Stefan had a girlfriend named Katherine who was living in our home. She had her own room, of course. In those days you did not cohabitate with your lover before marriage. She had lost her family in the war, or at least that is what she told my family at the time, so my father took her in. The instant I met her, I was enamored with her. She was so vivacious and full of life. I fell in love with her, and I believed she was also in love with me. We began sneaking off to see each other during the night, and I constantly asked her when she intended to break things off with Stefan. I felt bad for stealing her from him, but at the time all I could think of was how much I loved her. She eventually revealed her true identity to me. She was a vampire who was born over a hundred years before I was born. I didn't believe it as first, of course. But then she showed me, and she convinced me that it was such an amazing life. The thought of us spending eternity together was very appealing, so I agreed to let her change me. Little did I know that she was also convincing my brother of the same fate. Then one day all hell broke loose. My father and several townsfolk had figured out what she was. There were others with her, and the men decided they needed to all be killed. They came for her one night and Stefan and I actually worked together to try to save her. My father had other plans in mind though. He found us helping her escape and shot us both. He didn't realize at the time that we had vampire blood in our systems, allowing us to wake up from the fatal gunshots in the process of turning into vampires."

Damon stopped and looked at me and I just sat there in silence. Trying to determine if what he was saying was true or if it was some elaborate tale that he was telling me. I was about to tell him that he was full of it, when he continued with his story.

"Stefan and I awoke the next day and were told that Katherine was killed along with all of the other vampires. It was a witch who got us out of the area where the chaos took place. She brought us to the lake near our home and waited for us to awake. When we did, she explained that we were now vampires. She gave us our rings to keep us alive in the sunlight," as he said this he held up his hand to display the odd ring that I had wondered at many times over the last month and the continued. "She told us what we needed to do to complete the process and then she left. Stefan and I both blamed the other for the situation with Katherine. We were both in love with her and believed she was in love with us, so neither of us could accept that she had been saying the same thing to both of us. We eventually heard years later that she had escaped that night and had been living out her life somewhere in Europe for the last fifty years. I was outraged when I found out. It just proved to me that she never did love me, and that it was all just her being a manipulative bitch. Stefan didn't feel the same way. He believed she only left because of me, so we have continued to bicker over this for a very long time. So that is why Stefan and I do not get along."

He looked at me then, obviously waiting to hear my reaction to his tale. I didn't know what to say, and I wanted him to keep going with his story so I simply said, "Tell me more about Katherine. You said I look like her. Is that the only reason you are here with me? The reason that Stefan seems to be so interested in me as well?" I couldn't hide the hurt in my voice at this revelation. What is wrong with me? I should be freaking out over the fact that this man is telling me he is vampire who is over 150 years old, and yet my biggest concern is whether or not he truly wants me for me. I almost laughed at that, but then Damon spoke up and interrupted my thoughts.

"No Elena! You have to believe me! Yes, when I first saw you I was in shock. I honestly thought you were Katherine, until I heard your heartbeat and smelled the blood pumping through your veins." I flinched slightly at the thought of him _smelling_ my blood. He noticed and tried to hurry past that part. "But like I said before, from the moment I first spoke to you, I knew that you were nothing like Katherine. She was evil and manipulative and took what she wanted without any regard to other people's feelings. You are nothing like that. You are kind and gentle and just so amazing. I knew after our day at the carnival that I wanted to learn everything there was to know about you. I want you in my life Elena. That is why I am taking this risk in telling you about my past. I want you to know everything about me so that you if you decide to stay with me, it will be based on truth and love, not on lies and deception."

We sat there in silence for awhile. I was trying to take everything in and determine if I honestly believed him. He seemed so sincere in everything he was saying, it was obvious that he believed what he was telling me. But then I was starting to think maybe he is crazy and believes these things to be true even if they aren't. Then I realized what I needed to really believe him.

"Show me."

He looked at me with a confused expression. "What?"

"Show me. Do something to prove to me that this is true, that you are a vampire and that vampires are real. I want to believe you Damon, but I've been taught my whole like that vampires are not real. They are just creatures of the night, invented to scare little children or entertain adults. I need you to show me."

"I don't want to scare you." I could tell he was considering what I asked, but he was genuinely afraid of scaring me off.

"Please, I have to see proof." As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw Damon's face change before me. Veins started to rise out of his skin and then he opened his mouth and I saw his teeth literally grow into fangs right before my eyes. Then after only a few seconds, his face went back to normal. He turned his face from me, obviously scared to see my reaction. I should have been scared. I should have bolted from the room and the cabin and from Damon in general. But I couldn't do it. I was slowly falling in love with this man, and regardless of this new information, I trusted him. I stood up and walked over to him. I sat down slowly in his lap and then lifted his face so that he would look at me.

"I'm not going anywhere Damon. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not a little freaked out right now. But I care about you too much to just run away." Then I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He just stared at me in disbelief for a moment and then the biggest smile spread across his face; that sincere smile that I couldn't get enough of. Just knowing how happy I had made him, made a huge smile cover my face as well. And then he kissed me. This kiss was different from all the kisses we had shared before. It was full of need and want and passion…and _love_. It was in that instant that I knew without a doubt that I loved Damon Salvatore. It didn't matter what he told me about his life or his past. I was in love with him and nothing he could say would change that. Things were really starting to heat up between us. I had moved into a straddling position over him and we were grinding against one another, moaning into each other's mouths. Too soon for my liking, he pulled away.

"There's more Elena. That was the hardest part, but before we take this to the next level, I need you to know everything."

I moved so that I was sitting on his lap again, not straddling him. I took his hand in mine and said "Okay, tell me the rest." He waited for a moment, expecting me to go back to my chair. But I wasn't going anywhere, so he finally began with the rest of his story.

"After I became a vampire, I was angry. I gave my heart to Katherine just to have her stamp all over it. And I had Stefan in my ear, constantly telling me that she loved him more than me. Obviously neither of us had spoken to her since her supposed death, but it still messed me up. I decided then and there that I was never going to let myself feel that way again. So I shut off my emotions. It's something that vampires are able to do. I became a very bad person, Elena. I slept with a different woman every night, and killed too many people to count. Obviously as a vampire we need blood to survive. However, we don't have to kill them to get it. We can drink enough to sustain ourselves and then compel them to forget, but I just didn't care." He paused and looked at me, I guess expecting that this revelation would be the tipping point to send me running. I wasn't happy about it, but I couldn't be angry at Damon for something he did 100 years ago. And he's obviously a different person now. So I asked the one question that had been running through my head.

"What about now? Do you still kill people and sleep around? Are you still closing your heart off to falling in love? Because if you won't allow yourself to feel that way again, what are you doing with me? I'm falling in love with you Damon, and I need to know you feel the same way."

This caught him off guard. I think he was expecting me to be scared of him or freak out in some way, he was definitely not expecting to hear that I was falling for him.

"Everything changed the moment I met you. I have not killed anyone since that night. I have actually been stealing blood bags from the hospital. I haven't had fresh blood since before I met you. I love you Elena. There is no falling about it, I am already there. And just knowing that you could feel the same way, I couldn't ask for anything more in the world. I honestly thought that you would hate me or be terrified of me after today. I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams that you would hear everything I just told you and then proceed to say you are falling in love with me."

The smile I loved was back and I knew in that moment that everything would be alright. There was nothing else that Damon could tell me that would change my mind. And now that we both knew where we stood, I was ready to take things to the next level with him.

"Make love to me Damon. I've wanted you since the moment I met you. You can tell me more about yourself later, we have all weekend. Right now all I want is to be in your arms and to show you how I feel about you."

Damon didn't even hesitate. He scooped me up in his arms and in the next instant we were in our room lying on the bed. That was a neat little trick he would have to show me more later. For now, I just wanted to lose ourselves in this moment together.


End file.
